MEDITATION GROUPS

Polly Ryan, MFT, a local therapist for 30 years, is currently teaching meditation at For Goodness Sake, 10157 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, CA. A senior student and authorized teacher of Lama Tsultrim Allione, Polly has studied and practiced Tibetan Buddhism for over 25 years. Having met the educational and practice requirements of Lama Tsultrim's Kapala Training in 2008, Polly is certified as a Feeding Your Demons Therapist and is among those who are currently authorized by Lama Tsultrim to teach this work to others. Polly has also studied Shamata, The Four Applications of Mindfulness, Lojong (Seven Point Mind Training),The Four Immeasurables, Tonglen, Dzogchen and other practices with B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D., Tibetan Buddhist scholar, translator and teacher, for over twenty-five years (www.sbinstitute.com ).

Sunday teachings and on-going meditation sessions are held twice monthly, and beginning students are welcome. Wednesday morning classes are held weekly and address a variety of topics and teachings. Please check the For Goodness Sake website for the most current schedule.

Our Sunday meditation group focuses on two main meditation practices as taught by Lama Tsultrim. The first is the Prajna Paramita practice that teaches us to turn our out-going energy back inward, recognize the ground of being, return home and rest non-conceptually. The second, Feeding Your Demons, is based on the Chod, a Tibetan Buddhist practice discovered by the eleventh-century yogini, Machig Labdron. This approach to life's difficulties, both inner and outer, is based on compassion rather than fear, on engagement rather than attack. These complimentary practices, Feeding Your Demons and Prajna Paramita, are skillful means to address our relative world and to discover our true condition.

If you have questions contact Polly at pollyryanmft@gmail.com or 530.587.1978. For further exploration, please read Lama Tsultrim's books : Feeding Your Demons and Women of Wisdom and visit her website at www.taramandala.org. See Polly's Tara Mandala website biographical page for further information.